This book is part of a series but works well as a standalone. I enjoyed Tessa and Liam’s story. It's an enemies to lovers romance. Fun read!

*Possible Spoilers* This book is part of a series but works as a standalone. Overall, I enjoyed Tessa and Liam’s story. I felt the move from “I can’t stand you” to “I want to spend every minute with you” happened a little too quickly, and I thought Liam got more blame than Tessa for not expressing his true feelings, but everything works out in the end, which I like to see. If you like opposites attract or grumpy/sunshine tropes, you should find this an entertaining read. 4⭐️
Thanks to Chasing Romance Inc, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio ARC.

"Some days are hard... Everyday I choose to be happy and keep moving forward but sometimes those steps are tiny and I'm the only one who can see them."

Tempt Me by esteem romance author Samantha Chase is book 2 of her Donovan small town romance series but also a stand alone.

This grumpy/sunshine romcom has Liam Donovan home after 12 years in the Marines. He wants solitude and nothing to do with holidays. Tessa, the sweet widowed music teacher lives for decorating on the holidays. When he moves next door even his own family tells him to keep his "negative attitude" away from Tessa.

Circumstances force them together; now if they can just get out of their own way they may enjoy each other's company.

Narrator Carly Robins brings an inner strength to Tessa's voice and endearing vulnerability to Liam that will tempt you to love this couple.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’m pretty split on this book. It had all of the potential to be a great grumpy/sunshine book and while it was still an enjoyable read, some parts just fell flat for me.

(-)
-Liam did not have many redeeming qualities. He wasn’t the lovable kind of grumpy, he was just an asshole. He didn't try to understand Tessa’s situation or that everyone's version of grief is different. He acted like he was helping her move on, but he was really just bullying her like everyone else in her life
-The lack of communication between the two of them was excruciating. Liam just expected Tessa to know how he felt when he barely showed any emotion aside from annoyance toward her and kept emphasizing that they were just friends
-There wasn’t much chemistry between them and yet they fell in love almost instantly
-The end was incredibly cringy - public declarations of love are so not my cup of tea

(+)
-I liked Tessa a lot. She was a little odd, but she was an enjoyable character to read
-Chase did a good job portraying how everybody handles grief differently and how the timeline for moving on can look different for each person
-I loved Liam’s siblings - they were chaotic in the best way. I’d be interested in reading other books in this series to learn more about the other siblings and their relationships with each other

Overall, this was not my favorite read, but if you like small-town romances, enemies to lovers, and grumpy/sunshine tropes I still recommend giving it give it a shot!

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Samantha Chase for the opportunity to review this book!

This wonderful, funny, grumpy/sunshine, former-military, neighbor, seasonal, small town romance was great! HAHA

Liam and Tessa are a great romance story! I laughed out loud, a felt the push-pull, I just really freaking liked this one! The narrator did great, the storyline was great...I just gotta recommend this second book in the Donovan's series! Samantha Chase is such a great writer, who makes you feel-good and enjoy the read! Tempt Me was great!

I listened to the Audiobook version of the book. I thought both narrators did an excellent job. You could tell they were more experienced narrators. This is a well written “enemies to lovers” I took away a star because of predictability. A romantic story of a love lost woman and a hardened man thrust together as neighbors. This story is set in a tight knit small town. A crucial time in their lives when they don’t realize just how lonely they are. This is a good book that I had a hard time putting down. A solid romance story that any romance ready will enjoy

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to Tempt Me. What a Hallmark Christmas story wrapped up into a nice little read! The Grinchy next door neighbor Liam and the bright, festive Tessa. The book does a great job of character development and guiding us into the relationship that forms between the star characters. I would definitely recommend this read, 5 stars.

I enjoyed this romance story, I really liked the narrators for both of the main characters. I did find that the plot and the chemistry between the two main characters was lacking. It was a low stakes plot will not much going on.

Absolutely loved this book. I'm a sucker for romance. and it was my first book of 2023. And i'm glad I chose it! So sweet.

This is a very sweet little story. It’s the second in a series but they can all be read as standalones. However, I think you’d enjoy it even more if you read them in order. I didn’t do that but I plan to go back and read the first then continue on.
Liam Donovan has just moved into his new home. He is instantly annoyed by his new neighbors Halloween decorations thus causing him to dislike whoever it is. Just wait till he finds out it’s the woman he met just six months ago at a wedding. The cheeriest, most upbeat woman he’s ever met.
Tessa Sullivan truly believes that one should always look to the bright side of everything. Must to her dismay her new neighbor is the most negative man she has ever met in all her life and it would seem that his goal is to ruin her good mood nonstop daily. She likes singing loudly to everything from the latest song on the radio to disney tunes. She has a smile for everyone and absolutely loves decorating for all the holidays in an all out way.
Liam is just coming out of spending twelve years in the Marines. He is more than ready to just come home and begin whatever this phase of life has to offer. He’s reconnecting with his slightly overbearing family, starting a business, and has bought his first home. Now, if his neighbor would just keep her decorations in her own yard he’d be thrilled. He doesn’t find one single thing about his bew neighbor that he likes. Until one day when Tessa makes a very tempting offer. Now she is all he can think about.
This is a dislike (hate) to love book so if you are into the enemy to more trope you will definitely not want to miss this sweet story. It has a bit of steam but it’s very mild so those who aren’t fans of that, like me, don’t have a lot to worry about here. It’s just cute.
If you like audiobooks this is a great one to listen to. The narrator has the perfect voice for the story. I had the chance to listen to it thanks to Netgalley and loved it.

Tempt Me by Samantha Chase

This is book #3 in The Donovans series. In this one we meet Liam a grumpy ex -marine. Tessa Sullivan is an upbeat person that brings joy around her. Tessa and Liam make a deal with each other he helps her to learn to date again so they start off fake dating. There is always something to one character being so happy all the time and the other is just trying to survive in the world. Liam though is dealing with returning home from military service which can be hard. I felt for him as he tried to readjust. Tessa herself is recovering from losing her husband but she still finds a way to be happy.

I did not care from the meddling of some of Liam's siblings they at time lead him astray from his relationship with Tessa. There is chemistry between the pair even though they are fake dating. When you mix sex into it things begin to get complicated. Will this couple stay into the fake zone or will they find a way to explore the chemistry they have?

Samantha Chase does know how to write good characters that you as the reader are invested in you care about them. This always pulls me in and I want to see happiness flow through them even as the roads become bumpy along the way. Samantha delivers on this and so much more. This was fast paced and enjoyable for me.

The story was narrated by Carly Robins she did such a good job with the characters which made listening to the audio book so enjoyable. This was a solid four star read for me and i recommend this to people who like reading romance novels that have fake dating in the story line.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for a free audio copy of Temp Me for an honest review. All opinions and ideas expressed in this review are my own.

Tempt Me is the third novel in Samantha Chase’s The Donovans series. Eldest son of five children, Liam Donovan has recently returned to Laurel Bay from his Marine career. Laurel Bay is home, has been home to the Donovans for generations. Liam has planned a future forming a company with his former comrade in arms, Will Jameson, to create a fishing resort. Their business is off the ground, Liam is home with his big family, and is now the owner of his own home. There’s just one thing!
And it’s a giant ghost migrating into his front yard! Liam’s new next door neighbor is the happiest person around, elementary music teacher Tessa Sullivan. Tessa does things big, especially holidays! Her yard is a Halloween nightmare for Liam, who just wants a nice quiet place to withdraw after a hectic day. Not this week!
But when Tessa invites Liam over to meet the neighbors at an after trick or treat front lawn party, he learns more of her and her backstory and becomes intrigued. Tessa is a very young widow with a tragic albeit unusual history. Her very best friend Trevor was taken by an inoperable brain tumor. But up until the end they lived life to the fullest together, including fulfilling his bucket list item of getting married. While Tessa loved Trevor very much, they were never in love and the marriage was very unconventional. That, however, does not lessen her grief and loss. Tessa is living in a place of remembrance and grief, yet she is sunshine and rainbows everywhere she goes.
After weeks of enjoying each other’s company, Tessa and Liam have also become an unconventional pair that will lead the reader on a very different path. Ms. Chase creates such endearing characters and places them in unexpected plots. Again, she does not disappoint her readers with this charming story. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Liam Donovan has just moved into a new house in his hometown now that he is no longer in the Marines. His new neighbor has an obscene amount of Christmas decorations out, and he can’t stand her constantly cheerful attitude. Tessa Sullivan believes in always looking on the bright side of life, and she’s not going to let her new neighbor’s negativity bring her down. When the two share a kiss, however, they cannot deny the sizzle between them. Can they learn to get along and find a romance together?

This story is everything I have come to expect from a Samantha Chase story – likeable characters and a compelling romance with a guaranteed HEA. Carly Robins did a nice job with the narration of the audiobook. The one thing I really did not like in this book was the way the Donovan matriarch treated her daughter Ryleigh. This is the second book in the Donovan series but can easily be read as a standalone.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This book was over the top for me. I couldn't get past the female main character. She was so dramatic and quite annoying. This book was VERY predictable.

This is a steamy and slightly angsty romance. The narration was done very well, and the story is well written. Samantha Chase walks us through grief, letting go, and trusting yourself and others after a devastating loss.

This was my second Samantha Chase holiday inspired book which gave me hallmark Christmas movie vibes! Everyone says opposites attract but what happens when the new neighbor moves in and he is a miserable man? Liam decided to settle down after exiting the Marines but obviously love can not keep him apart from Tessa literally and figuratively.

This was a cute romance. Was it something I remembered an hour after finishing the book? No.. But was it something that I really enjoyed listening to while doing crafts? Yes! Overall it is sometimes enjoyable, but not something I'd be likely to re-read or add to my bookshelf as a physical copy. Worth the read though!

I was so excited to see the third book in the Donovans series! Liam is a curmudgeon, and Tessa lives for the holidays. “Tempt me“ was super cute and quite sexy… and I loved the banter between the two main characters. This was a sweet, easy read that ended up being perfect at Christmas time, and the narration was excellent.

Liam just moved back to his hometown after spending time in the Marines. After moving into his new home, he learns his neighbor is the same woman he was in a wedding with, and she is way too cheerful for him. Tessa is widowed. She has always looked at the bright side and the town loves her. Tessa is ready to date again, and Liam says he will help her get out. He spends a lot of time with her but when he really begins to care for her, he is put off with all the pictures she has of her dead husband. She is also still wearing her rings. Liam finally arrives at the place where he needs to let her go and move. I loved this book. Liam and Tessa’s personalities are so different, yet they work together. She has fun with life and Liam needs a little more fun. Both their friends support them, and I love how Liam gets out of himself and lives life fully. Great characters and fun book to read.

Tempt Me was so much fun to listen to! Liam and Tessa's story was so entertaining, touching, sweet, and steamy. Liam is finally home from the marines, and unknowingly bought a home next door to Tessa. They met month's previously, when they were both in a wedding party. They clashed from the start with grumpy Liam getting annoyed with Tessa's sunny, positive outlook on everything. Nothing has changed after he sees how over the top her Halloween decorations are. To top it off, everyone in his family loves her as well. Tessa is trying to avoid the surly, sexy man next door, but her manners forces her to be polite. When they finally take the time to really appreciate each other, the sparks begin to fly between them. Liam is having a hard time finding his place back home and with his family, and Tessa is just what he needs. Tessa also has a reason for her outlook on life, and it might be holding her back from taking a chance on love. When Liam pushes her boundaries, will it help or push them out of each other's lives forever?
I fell fast and hard, becoming totally invested in these wonderfully fun, and flawed characters, and their story hooked me right from the start. Tessa was so sweet, and loves to make others happy. Liam is a bit lost, a little grumpy, but behind his walls he is caring, and protective. I loved them together, and their chemistry exploded off the page.
Carly Robins did a great job bringing these characters and story to life. She delivered all the wit, emotion, and steam and I was totally lost in her performance. I really enjoyed listening to this fun, touching, sweet and steamy romance!